UN map reveals Syria regime's destruction of east Aleppo

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A shocking new map has shown the extent of the brutal aerial bombardment on the former Syrian rebel stronghold of east Aleppo.

The map, which was created from satellite imagery obtained by the UN's Operational Satellite Applications Programme, revealed last week that more than 33,000 homes have been destroyed in Aleppo since the bloody civil war began.
The satellite analysis, which has not yet been validated on the ground, was obtained using imagery from November 2010 until September 2016.
The image illustrates that the Syrian regime and Russian bombardment of east Aleppo has been much more destructive than rebel shelling of government-held west Aleppo.
Government forces have mounted several offensives to regain control of the whole of Aleppo after rebel forces seized eastern parts of the city in July 2012.
Much of the city has been reduced to a wasteland by air and artillery attacks.

Much of the city has been reduced to a wasteland [Getty]

Since December 2013, the army has dropped hundreds of barrel bombs - crude explosive devices that cause indiscriminate damage.
The rebels have retaliated with rocket fire on government-held neighbourhoods.
Since July 17, rebel districts have been under near-continuous siege by the army and 250,000 civilians have suffered from food and fuel shortages. Heavy shelling by the regime destroyed all established hospitals in the area.
An assault launched on November 15 with Russian air support made swift gains, with government forces and allied militia capturing rebel neighbourhoods one by one. The iconic Old City fell on December 7.
More than 465 civilians have died in east Aleppo during the assault and another 142 have been killed by rebel rocket fire on government-held areas, according to a toll released on December 15 by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
Under a landmark deal brokered by regime ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey, 35,000 rebels and civilians left the former opposition stronghold of east Aleppo last week.